Theodosius III of Abkhazia
Encyclopedia
Theodosius III the Blind (also known as Theodosius the Sorrowed), was King of the Abkhazians
from circa 975
to 978
.
He was a son of George II of Abkhazia
, who sent Theodosius to be brought up at Constantinople
. After his reigning brother Leon III died in 967
, a rebel party of Meskheti
an, Egrisi
an and Kartli
an nobles put him as a rival king to his brother, Demetrius III. Victorious in the ensuing civil war, Demetrius had Theodosius captured and blinded. It was not until the death of childless Demetrius in 975, when Theodosius was able to ascend the throne.
During his short and unhappy reign, the kingdom became engulfed into complete chaos and feudal anarchy combined with the raids by the Kakheti
ans in the eastern frontiers of Kartli where the royal power had completely collapsed and a governor (eristavi
), Ioanne Marushis-dze, allied with the Georgian
Bagratid prince David III Kuropalates of Tao
to install Theodosius’s nephew (sister’s son) Bagrat as a ruler of Kartli in 975. As the problems overwhelmed his kingdom, Theodosius was forced to abdicate, in 978, in favor of Bagrat who sent him to the court of David of Tao. Since then Theodosius disappeared from history.
Abkhazian Kingdom
The Kingdom of Abkhazia, also known as the Kingdom of the Abkhazes refers to an early medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which lasted from the 780s until being united, through dynastic succession, with the Kingdom of the Georgians in 1008.- Historiographical conundrum :Writing the kingdom’s...
from circa 975
975
Year 975 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* Al-Azhar University is founded in Cairo, Egypt .- Asia :...
to 978
978
Year 978 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Florence, Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany....
.
He was a son of George II of Abkhazia
George II of Abkhazia
George II was King of the Abkhazians from 916 AD until 960 AD. His lengthy reign is regarded as a zenith of cultural flowering and political power of his realm....
, who sent Theodosius to be brought up at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. After his reigning brother Leon III died in 967
967
Year 967 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Fatimid general Gawhar al-Siqilli launches a new victorious campaign in the West of the Magrib.- Europe :...
, a rebel party of Meskheti
Meskheti
Meskheti is in a mountainous area of Moschia and is a former province in southwestern Georgia. The ancient Georgian tribes of Meskhi and Mosiniks were the indigenous population of this region. A majority of the modern Georgian population of Meskheti are descendants of these ancient tribes...
an, Egrisi
Egrisi
Lazica or Egrisi in Georgian |Georgia]], named after the Laz tribe, which at some time dominated the local ruling élite.The kingdom flourished between the 6th century BC and the 7th century AD. It covered part of the territory of the former kingdom Colchis and subjugated the territory of modern...
an and Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
an nobles put him as a rival king to his brother, Demetrius III. Victorious in the ensuing civil war, Demetrius had Theodosius captured and blinded. It was not until the death of childless Demetrius in 975, when Theodosius was able to ascend the throne.
During his short and unhappy reign, the kingdom became engulfed into complete chaos and feudal anarchy combined with the raids by the Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
ans in the eastern frontiers of Kartli where the royal power had completely collapsed and a governor (eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
), Ioanne Marushis-dze, allied with the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
Bagratid prince David III Kuropalates of Tao
Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti is the term conventionally used in modern history writing to describe the historic south-western Georgian principalities, now forming part of north-eastern Turkey and divided among the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan and Kars...
to install Theodosius’s nephew (sister’s son) Bagrat as a ruler of Kartli in 975. As the problems overwhelmed his kingdom, Theodosius was forced to abdicate, in 978, in favor of Bagrat who sent him to the court of David of Tao. Since then Theodosius disappeared from history.
See also
- Abkhazian KingdomAbkhazian KingdomThe Kingdom of Abkhazia, also known as the Kingdom of the Abkhazes refers to an early medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which lasted from the 780s until being united, through dynastic succession, with the Kingdom of the Georgians in 1008.- Historiographical conundrum :Writing the kingdom’s...
- Divan of the Abkhazian KingsDivan of the Abkhazian KingsThe Divan of the Abkhazian Kings is a short medieval document composed in Georgian in the late 10th or early 11th century. It has come down to us in a 15th-century version. The text was first studied and published by the Georgian scholar Ekvtime Takaishvili...